The serve is often considered one of the most significant aspects of a tennis player’s game, and some players have shocked fans and experts with their extremely fast serves. Here are the 10 fastest servers of all time.
10. Ben Shelton—150 mph (241.4 km/h)
Starting off the list of the world’s fastest servers is rising American star Ben Shelton, who performed a serve at a speed of 150 mph (241.4 km/h) during the 2024 Indian Wells tournament. At 21 years old, Shelton is already shaking things up with his serve’s speed on the ATP tour, and he will be one to watch as he develops his game.
9. Oscar Otte — 151 mph (243 km/h)
German player Oscar Otte delivered a serve at a speed of 151 mph (243 km/h) at the 2021 US Open, which put him on the list of the fastest servers. Otte has strived through his serve and moved up the ranks in the ATP tour, especially in Grand Slam events.
8. Marius Copil—151.6 mph (244 km/h)
Romanian Marius Copil reached one of the highest serve speeds of 151,6 mph (244 km/h) at the 2016 European Open. He never ranked among the top 50 ATP players; however, Copil,’s serve enabled him to perform effectively at the higher levels.
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7. Feliciano López — 152.0 mph (244.6 km/h)
Feliciano López, the Spanish tennis player machine, who has often been noted for his killer serve, unleashed his career-best and sixth-fastest serve ever of 152 mph (244.4 km/h) at the Aegon Championships held at Queen’s Club in 2014. Over the years, López has proved to be a great server, especially when he goes for the serve-volley strategy, and has registered numerous aces, making him a great opponent, especially on grass courts.
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6. Andy Roddick—155.0 mph (249.4 km/h)
Tennis’ ex-World No. 1 Andy Roddick once clocked a 155 mph (249 km/h) serve at the 2004 Davis Cup. The American was characterized by his terrific serves and was known for his aggressive playing style and serve that helped him clinch the US Open trophy in 2003, among many other titles.
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5. Milos Raonic—155.3 mph (250 km/h)
Canadian player Milos Raonic is the next high-speed server on the list; in the 2012 SAP Open, he hit the ball at the speed of 155,3 mph (250 km/h). Raonic’s serve has played a big part in his rise in the ATP rankings and got him to the finals of many major tournaments.
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4. Ivo Karlović — 156.0 mph (251 km/h)
Croatia’s Ivo Karlović, standing at 6’ 11 tall, has always benefited from his height; he hit his fastest serve and the world’s fastest serve at that time of 156.0 mph (251 km/h) in 2011 during the Davis Cup. They called him “Dr. Ivo” because of his powerful serve, which helped him hit many aces and made him one of the most difficult players to break.
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3. John Isner — 157.2 mph (253 km/h)
American John Isner is also known as one of the fastest servers out there, the fastest being at 157.2 mph (253 km/h) during the Davis Cup in 2016. His height stands at a massive 6’10, thus enabling him to produce some of the tour’s fastest serves. His serve is one of his major strengths, helping him produce great achievements in tennis, like holding the record for the most aces in ATP history or the marathon match at Wimbledon in 2010, where he defeated Nicolas Mahut in an 11-hour, 5-minute match, the longest in tennis history.
2. Albano Olivetti—160 mph (257.5 km/h)
Albano Olivetti of France is second on the list of the world’s fastest servers, with a serve of 160 mph (257.5 km/h) in a 2012 Challenger event. His height of 6’8 is beneficial to him because he can create a lot of force. Although he is not among the highest-ranking tennis players, his serve will go down in the annals of the game as the second fastest.
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1. Sam Groth—163.4 mph (263 km/h)
Australian tennis player Sam Groth has the No.1 spot on the world’s fastest servers list,as he holds the record for the fastest serve ever in professional tennis. He achieved this very high speed of 163.4 mph (263 km/h) during the Challenger event in Busan, South Korea in 2012. Regardless of the fact that it was delivered in a local tournament, no one has been able to challenge this serve’s speed. Groth has depended on a good serve throughout his career, but he has not emulated similar results in singles tournaments.
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